Pacific Fishing is published for commercial fishermen and seafood business professionals.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Can ocean feed more salmon?

With the number of salmon in the North Pacific having doubled in the past 50 years, scientists increasingly are concerned there may not be enough food to support them, and changing ocean conditions could make it worse.

Sarah: ‘Like you’ve never seen her”

B.C. protest fishermen face small fines

Forty-eight commercial fishermen who staged illegal protest fisheries on the Fraser River in 2001 and 2002 to try to force Ottawa to crack down on aboriginal salmon poaching will likely pay fines of no more than $200.

Start again on Columbia hatchery plan

Europeans won’t protect bluefin tuna

International fisheries negotiators agreed to maintain the 2011 catch of endangered Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna at essentially the same level as in 2010, eliciting a stinging rebuke from conservationists, who had been calling for a fishing moratorium.

Alaska firm recalls tainted salmon

The owner of a Fairbanks fish processing company says three samples of the same batch of smoked salmon the state deemed contaminated were tested by independent laboratories in the Lower 48 and came back negative.

Give Alaska fish chief a chance

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell is telling groups concerned over his appointment of Cora Campbell to head the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to "hold their criticism until they really know the full picture," The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports.

N. Cal crabbers worry about fill

While California, Oregon and Washington fishery managers declared the season open on Dec. 1, saying the crabs on average have enough meat to harvest, both fishermen and buyers are worried that lean crabs in some areas wouldn't be good for the market.

Ocean acidification

Concern over ocean acidification is heightened by the focus on climate change. The process of ocean acidification is not new, but many climatologists worry that it’s expedited pace is the result of increased carbon emissions.

Stop selling diseased farmed salmon

Lawmakers and environmentalists are demanding that the Chilean Health Ministry prohibit the marketing of more than 100 tons of salmon for human consumption, which is infected with the infectious salmon anemia (ISA) virus.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Good news for Oregon crabbers

Negotiators discussing price for this season’s Oregon Dungeness crab harvest have reached an agreement, according to Nick Furman, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission.

Furman would not reveal a price, saying the agreement won’t be final until Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Caty Koba approves. Expect an announcement within two days.

“Everything is a more convoluted than usual,” Furman said. “We’ve missed the pre-soak period. Now we have to figure out how to have a fair start for everyone.”

Part of the agreement includes one more test fishery for fill tests. Fisheries in some areas were opened based on projections from earlier tests. The latest effort will seek proof of fill content, rather than projections.

“We want to make sure we’re bringing home the best quality product possible,” Furman said.

More good news for crabbers

Oregon Dungeness crab is certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council as of today, according to Nick Furman, executive director of the Dungeness Crab Commission.

The commission has worked years – and invested a great amount of money – to achieve certification. The MSC is expected to announce the certification shortly.

Cal crabbers worry about fill

The West Coast fishing industry is struggling to decide when to start plundering the expectedly abundant stocks of Dungeness crab offshore, threatening to prolong a likely delay for another two weeks.

Alaska examines climate change on fisheries

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released its Climate Change Strategy. The report looks at the potential impact that climate change would have on the state's wildlife and fisheries – and what it might mean for commercial fishermen and subsistence users.

Canadia tribes demand oil tanker ban

A coalition of First Nations, commercial fisheries and environmental groups from Canada's Pacific Northwest Coast are demanding a ban on oil tankers in the region, claiming the local economy is in jeopardy because of increased traffic.

Feds resume review of Shell Alaska drilling

The U.S. Interior Department will resume reviewing Shell Oil's plans to drill for oil in the Beaufort Sea next summer and will consider other Arctic drilling plans even as the Obama administration on Wednesday scaled back new offshore exploration in other parts of the country.

Circular hatcheries breed stronger fish

Researchers experimenting with juvenile salmon and steelhead at a Washington fish hatchery say fish raised in circular tanks with a swift current are faster and tougher than fish raised in the commonly-used rectangular raceways.

Special interests threaten Cal salmon

Oregon crab price revealed

Oregon Dungeness crab fishermen and seafood processor representatives participating in state-supervised crab price negotiations have agreed on an opening price for the 2010/2011 Dungeness crab season along the Oregon coast.

Video looks at albacore fishing

The folks at the Western Fishboat Owners Association sent along a link to a short video showing the business of catching albacore off the Northwest Coast aboard F/V Rose Mar. Fisherman Kellen Keene shot the footage fishing from Newport, Ore., to Westport, Wash., in 2008. “Our crew consisted myself, captain Steve Moore, and first mate Joe Wells. I made it mainly to break down the feeling of leaving the port to fill the boat and return home safely. Also to show that we catch all of our fish one by one.” Keene says he’s interested in producing short videos for other fishing organizations. You can reach him atkellenkeene@yahoo.com

Friday, December 3, 2010

California otters can’t read

Apparently, the 2,700 or so southern sea otters within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary never received the memo that they were forbidden to travel into Southern California between Point Conception and the Mexican border, known as the no-otter zone to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the commercial fishing industry.

Finally! Oregon crab gets MSC certification

The iconic Oregon Dungeness crab fishery operating off the west coast of the United States has earned Marine Stewardship Council certification following independent assessment to the MSC standard for sustainable, well-managed fisheries. Products from the fishery will now be eligible to bear the blue MSC ecolabel.

Alaska Fisheries Report

Coming up this week, halibut quota could be cut significantly for commercial fishermen next season; the pollock biomass is way up; and the Bristol Bay red king crab season is almost over. All that, and flying fish – no, it’s not what you think – coming up on the Alaska Fisheries Report.